Engineer David Murray, 47, of Kirkby, last night made the call his family feared would never come after being rescued from the bloodshed by Algerian armed forces.

Mr Murray was among hundreds of captives taken hostage by Al Qaeda-linked militants at the remote In Amenas gas plant on Wednesday.

His wife Anna, 44, and sons Jonathan, 19, and AJ, 12, spent almost 48 hours in the dark before the call arrived, not knowing whether he was among the dozens of Western workers feared dead or still unaccounted for.

Jonathan told the ECHO: “I cannot put it into words how I felt when I found out he was OK.

“I tried to stay positive but we had heard nothing except for what was on the news.

“Dad usually phones all the time when he is over there but we just did not hear anything.

“I was up all night crying – I was just so relieved when the call came. I cannot put it into words.

“It was the best news I have ever had.”

Everton FC fan Mr Murray has spent more than seven years based at In Amenas as a lead engineer at the gas plant.

His family remain unaware of the true scale of ordeal he faced but believe he made a daring bid for freedom with three colleagues.

They fled to an army checkpoint where they were taken in by troops.

Mr Murray was last night staying at a secure military base and was due to fly home over the weekend.

Jonathan, who had earlier asked David Cameron on Twitter to “bring my dad home”, said: “He has said he is safe and well and being looked after.

“He has not told us the ins and outs of what happened. He just wanted us to know he is OK and is coming home.

“We are made up. AJ is only 12 and he is over the moon. We all are.”

But in contrast the fate of at least two other Merseyside workers caught up in the kidnapping remained unclear last night.

Both families continued to be looked after by Merseyside police’s liaison unit.

The ECHO are not naming the two men on a request from the foreign office.

Reports of the number of hostages killed ranges from 12 to 30, with Mr Cameron suggesting yesterday that “less than 30” Brits were still unaccounted for.

The number of those who have died in the terror siege is unknown.

In a briefing last night foreign secretary William Hague said the government’s priority was to “identify exactly what has happened to each British national caught up in this incident”.

He said: “We are working to ensure that those who survived this ordeal are properly cared for and reunited with their loved ones, and that the families of all those involved receive full and accurate information and support.”

Algeria has identified the gunmen as militants who follow Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a veteran Islamist with al-Qaeda links.

The gunmen have reportedly said their attack is a reaction to French military intervention in neighbouring Mali.

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Alastair Machray

Alastair Machray was appointed editor of The Liverpool Echo in 2005 and is also editor-in-chief of Trinity Mirror Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales. He is a former editor of The Daily Post (Wales and England) and editor-in-chief of the company's Welsh operations. Married dad-of-two and keen golfer Alastair is one of the longest-serving newspaper editors in the country. His titles have won numerous awards and spearheaded numerous successful campaigns.